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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Dnf p.79. can't get into it. Which is a right shame but finding it hard to really care about the characters. There we are then.
good concept, boring story. it feels like this book is continually building up to some big reveal, but no reveal ever comes. the ending was so unsatisfying that it made me mad.
This book wasn't for me. It wasn't bad per se, the writing was good, and the story sounded interesting, but once I got into it I found it a bit boring. I can see where others would enjoy it, but unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. The split storylines didn't work for me as I would just start to get into it and then it would switch to the other and I would lose interest again. Oh well, you can't love them all.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book
An interesting dark read but I really struggled to get into it. It had some interesting ideas and some horrific elements but overall it fell a little short for me. However don't take my word for it! I could just be having an off week so please give it a try if you like your stories a little strange, with some gothic horror elements!
I was really into the premise of this novel, however, I found it to be predictable and the ending fell short for me. I’d normally go more in-depth but, for me, this is not a novel that’s sticking in my mind.
Dr. Alice Christopher is on a quest to solve an old mystery of a missing group of soldiers that vanished in Moresby Woods. She and 4 of her colleagues make a trip to the woods in order to retrace the soldiers’ path from when they were attacked by an unknown enemy and fled into the woods.
Each chapter alternates between Alice and her group exploring Moresby Woods and the group of soldiers and their story through them. The transitions between the two timelines are done well and parallel nicely.
The Gothic Horror vibes had me turning pages without wanting to put it down.
Each chapter alternates between Alice and her group exploring Moresby Woods and the group of soldiers and their story through them. The transitions between the two timelines are done well and parallel nicely.
The Gothic Horror vibes had me turning pages without wanting to put it down.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This book was great, really creepy atmosphere, excellent build up of dread of the unknown, and a really interesting premise. It definitely dragged in the middle a bit but it didn’t bother me too much because something did happen in every chapter to advance the story a little. I liked the way the duel story lines ran parallel to each other too. The only reason I knocked it down to 3.5 stars is because of the ending. I really do not like when books that do not appear to be sci-fi from the description or even the first part of the book, develop heavy sci-fi elements at the end to explain the twist or the unknown terrible thing. I also do not like the vague unexplained endings, but that’s just me personally. The book did get somewhat confusing and the end and left me feeling unsatisfied. It sort of felt like the author had written a story but then couldn’t come up with an ending that worked so they just left it as unresolved, which is something that horror books sometimes do, but personally seems lazy to me rather than scary or unsettling. Part of this is that I found the main character of one of the storylines to be very unlikeable by the end. I would still recommend reading for the rest of the book though, as it is very well written and spooky. And maybe that type of ending is your cup of tea!
In 1643 England, a group of soldiers is ambushed and takes cover in a forest infamous for tales of witchcraft and unexplained phenomena. Only two of the group make it out alive, bringing with them a strange and disturbing account of their lost comrades. In the present day, a research team of five women enters the wood to attempt to finally find answers to the fate of the missing soldiers, but when their GPS goes wonky and their maps are unexplainably incorrect, can they avoid becoming part of the legend?
Pros:
- It's an ancient monster in a primordial forest. Can't get much better than that in horror.
- It's told in shifting chapters between the present day and 1643, and some interesting things are done with time and the two groups of characters.
- It's a fairly quick read once it gets going.
Cons:
- Nothing is really given the time to settle in and unsettle. Things happen and then perspectives shift back and forth between characters and time periods, and they are forgotten or quickly moved on from.
- Too many vanilla or stock characters create a lack of empathy with them.
Three stars. The narrative here rushes towards the inevitable conclusion so quickly that the shifting character perspectives become blended together, as few of them are able to differentiate and stand out.
FFO: The Ritual, camping, time theories.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Rebellion and Netgalley*
Pros:
- It's an ancient monster in a primordial forest. Can't get much better than that in horror.
- It's told in shifting chapters between the present day and 1643, and some interesting things are done with time and the two groups of characters.
- It's a fairly quick read once it gets going.
Cons:
- Nothing is really given the time to settle in and unsettle. Things happen and then perspectives shift back and forth between characters and time periods, and they are forgotten or quickly moved on from.
- Too many vanilla or stock characters create a lack of empathy with them.
Three stars. The narrative here rushes towards the inevitable conclusion so quickly that the shifting character perspectives become blended together, as few of them are able to differentiate and stand out.
FFO: The Ritual, camping, time theories.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Rebellion and Netgalley*
Massive disappointment really. It could have been so good - the dual storylines worked well, and the creepy atmosphere was maintained throughout, but with a book like this you really have to nail the ending and sadly it was a damp squib.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes